Raven
by Andromedia
Summary: Buffy fights at her most vulnerable time (AU ~ 1st Time I've written one of these)
1. The Beginning

Chapter One  
  
  
"Pick a hand."  
"What?" Willow turned to see Dawn standing in front of her, her hands pulled behind her back. "What kind of game is this?"  
Dawn stood patiently. "The kind of game where you choose a hand."  
Willow rolled her eyes and stared down at the red book she was reading. "The left."  
Dawn pulled out her left hand and opened it. Nothing.  
"The right?" Tara asked from across the room. Dawn opened her right hand and again nothing.   
Willow stared at Dawn, confused. "You say this is a game yet you have nothing to show for it?"  
Dawn grinned as she clapped her hands together, a small blue marble appearing between both hands. "Ta da!"  
Willow was even more confused as she set the book aside. "Now I'm confused."  
Tara stood up and approached them. "It's quite easy. She's using magic."  
Willow nodded, her brow furrowed. "Obviously. But there's no purpose, no meaning."  
Dawn sat down on the other side of Willow, patting her shoulder. "There is. You'll see."  
  
  
****  
  
Spike was growing weary of watching Buffy pace back and forth, cross in hand. "So when are we going back?" he asked.  
Buffy was quiet, counting her steps. Twenty six in one direction, twenty seven in the other. "As soon as the waking undead decide that the dearly departed isn't their realm."  
"That could take days," Spike complained, leaning against a gravestone. "And it's getting close to dawn."  
Buffy didn't answer him.   
"The least you could do is smile," Spike said, frowning. "You look all serious. It adds years on."  
She finally stopped pacing. "What am I doing here? Nothing. We've been here for at least four hours. Nothing."  
"If he was to rise, he should have done so hours ago," Spike said, playing into her little game. She was trying to force an argument from him. He wouldn't let her. Not now.  
She frowned, disappointed he wasn't yelling at her. Or was she? Her own feelings were so raw and confused she could barely tell what she was thinking. "If you don't like it here, just leave."  
"Oh, I like the scenery more than I like the dead, thank you very much," Spike replied, eyeing her purposefully.  
Buffy glared at him for a moment before sitting down, reaching for the heavy black bag donated to her by Giles. "Get your eyes on something you're better at."  
"You know what I'm good at," he said evenly.  
Slowly, Buffy raised her gaze to meet his. "Do you now?"  
Spike nodded, very seriously. "I think we both do."  
Buffy was quiet again as she zipped the bag and rose to her feet. "I'm leaving now," she announced, walking away.  
"Not so fast," Spike called, catching her arm with a quick run. "We haven't finished 'talking'."  
"Two nights ago," Buffy replied, trying to move around him. "Is that what you called talking?"  
Spike smirked, tightening his grip on her arm. "Yes."  
Buffy struggled to free herself, the bag slipping from her fingers. "You want to know what I think?"  
Spike's face grew closer to hers, his breath warming her cheek. "I know what you're thinking, love. I don't need to ask you."  
Buffy's forehead fell against his, her resolve slipping away. "I know you do," she said softly as his fingers reached up, tracing her jawline. His lips reached for hers and met them before she kissed him back, her own trembling hand touching his face gently.   
Spike broke it off first, letting Buffy catch her breath as he reached down and picked up the bag. "Sun's comin' up in less than an hour," he said as he moved around her and continued on his way out of the cemetery. "I suggest we hurry back to your house."  
Buffy stood for a long moment, her mind frozen, her knees weak, her thoughts jarred. All she could remember was the feeling of being in his arms.  
  
****  
  
A single candle flame lit the way as a single figure moved into the night. Soon hundreds of candles were lit in small circles. The figure stepped back. "Finished."  
"You've barely begun." The voice seemed to come from the shadows as the body that belonged to the second voice surveyed the images and symbols imprinted onto the cold cement beneath their feet. Their eyes surveyed the cold room, their breath breathing blue in the early pre-dawn. "Bring the others. We'll begin tonight."  
"The slayer?" the first voice intoned, sounding slightly confused.  
"We'll ignore her for now." 


	2. Faint of Heart

Chapter Two -- Faint of Heart  
  
  
  
Buffy awoke the sometime the next morning, stiff and dazed. Glancing around her empty room, she found her robe as she'd left it and pulled it on tightly around her. Without it, she'd feel naked and scarred before the eyes of her friends.   
She moved downstairs, the smell of fresh coffee waking her up slightly as she approached the kitchen.  
"Good morning!" Dawn chirped, her head inside the refrigerator. "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes."  
Buffy walked in, covering her mouth to stifle a yawn. "I've only been asleep two hours?" she asked.   
"Yes, party girl," Willow teased her, as she sliced strawberries. Tara was behind the pan, carefully cooking the hotcakes. "And where were you till five this morning?"  
"On patrol," Buffy said, praying that her friend wouldn't be curious to know more details.   
But Dawn was curious. "Alone?"  
Buffy shook her head no. "I was with Spike."  
The three women grew quiet as they continued preparing breakfast which Buffy knew that they were only trying to cheer her up. It wouldn't work. At least not today.  
"Xander and Anya are coming over later," Willow said, breaking the thick silence with bantor. "They said they'd bring over a couple movies and we could order take-out."  
"Something new and exciting for us!" Dawn offered, closing the door and setting a pitcher of orange juice down. "We don't get to sit and eat out often, do we?"  
Buffy sighed into her hand, trying to show with her body language that they were trying too hard. What had happened to subtelty? "Would it be all right if Spike comes over?"  
The women grew quiet again as Tara put a stack of steaming hotcakes onto a plate and handed it to Dawn. "I don't think we'd mind," Dawn finally spoke up. "As long as you two don't get rough."  
Buffy felt the lightest glow of pink touch her cheeks. Dawn was only kidding of course, or maybe she was trying to funny. Point was, she had no idea how intense Buffy's feelings for Spike really were. He was the one holding her sanity together.  
"So let's say eight?" Willow asked cheerfully, pushing a steaming plate towards Buffy. She sat down across from Dawn and reached for the pitcher to pour juice.   
"Eight it is," Buffy echoed silently. "But I go on patrol at midnight."  
Tara looked up from her plate. "We'll be done in plenty of time, Buffy. Don't worry."  
Buffy shrugged and picked at her plate. Suddenly she didn't feel very hungry.  
  
****  
  
It was getting to be late afternoon at the crowded airport in London. Rupert Giles was sitting in an uncomfortable black chair, attempting to read while chaos went on around him.  
"I believe you called."  
Giles turned in his seat, his back painfully cracking to see his visitor. "I see you came."  
The figure went and sat down on the spare seat to his right. "What is this all about anyway?"  
"I know that you and Buffy had a falling out..." he began.  
"It was more than a falling out," the woman sighed. "I completely turned against her."  
Giles sighed. "I need your help. My network in Sunnydale tells me that Buffy is about two slayings from insanity. And the one person holding her together she didn't trust before."  
The woman nodded. "Spike."  
Giles looked surprised. "You've met?"  
"Yes," the woman nodded, looking at her feet. "We did not get along very well."  
"It appears he has taken a rather fond interest in our slayer," Giles concluded.  
The woman turned to him, her agitation growing. "Why the sudden interest in Buffy? I thought you quit being her watcher."  
"Retiring from being a watcher and to quit caring about what happens to someone are two very different things," Giles replied, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "Do you have anything with you?"  
The woman glanced down at herself. "Is this all I need?"  
"I was thinking more of supplies," he replied dryly. "Clothing, make-up, accessories and whatever else you women carry with you."  
"Relax, Giles," the woman replied, setting her hand on his knee. "I already had my luggage checked. I never come unprepared."  
Giles sighed in relief. "I'm glad because this is one time I want us to be prepared. The slayer is about to meet her match. Alone."  
  
****  
  
Buffy pulled open the door. Spike stood on the other side, a silly smirk covering his darkly powerful face. "Love!" he announced, inviting himself in.   
Buffy closed the door, trying not to let her irritation show. "Lucky for you, no one else is here. They went for supplies. Come in, why don't you?"  
"Don't mind if I do," Spike said, glancing around. "What's the party for anyways?"  
"It's called fun," Buffy replied coolly. "But you wouldn't have any idea about that, an old man like you?"  
Spike ignored her lude comments and turned to her. "Aren't you going to greet me?"  
"I did," Buffy blinked. "Didn't you notice?"  
"No," Spike chided her as he closed the distance between them in a few steps. "But I know why. You want me."  
Buffy's eyes widened. "I do not!"  
"Prove it!" Spike taunted her, lifting his arms and spinning.   
Buffy felt agitation and something else growing inside her. The intense feeling was returning. "Fine. Want me to grab my stake?" she asked in a shaky tone, reaching for the stake she'd kept handy on the coffee table and raising it to face him. "I'll show you how serious I can be."  
"You bluff," Spike called her on it, laughing.   
Buffy couldn't reply as she stood right in front of him, moving the stake to his chest and holding it there. "Do I?" she asked in her shakiest tone. "Do I look afraid?"  
Spike bent down, his face a mere inch from hers. "Not in the least."  
Buffy stared into his eyes, feeling lost and drawn into them.   
The stake fell to the floor as Buffy placed her hands on his shoulders, trying to push him back.   
Spike pushed her back, harder.  
Buffy tried a second time, almost losing her balance tripping over the stake. Spike seized the opportunity and pushed her against the wall, his lips crushing hers.  
Her fingers combed through his hair her body pressing into his, her thoughts melting away. Her trembles subsided as she wrapped herself around him, wanting more.  
Spike pulled her up, his lips moving down her neck. "Your scent..." he breathed it in, "is so sweet... like a woman scorned."  
Buffy opened her eyes and pushed him away slightly. "Spike," she rasped, sidestepping him.   
He took her hand and held it. "I'm not letting you go without a fight."  
Buffy turned to him just as the front door opened.   
"We're here!" Willow announced, bringing a large white bag, along with Dawn, Tara, Xander and Anya into the living room. Willow came in first, her face registering surprise at what she saw.  
  
****  
  
Giles hung up the phone and turned back to the woman, who was standing impatiently behind him, her luggage at her side.   
"So?" she asked, the edge in her tone undaunting.  
"I spoke with Angel myself," Giles said, blinking. "I wanted to hear his voice, to tell him the truth about what is going on."  
The woman glanced at him. "What exactly is going on?"  
Giles turned and began walking toward his New York gate. "The beginning of the end." 


	3. Something More

Chapter Three -- Something More  
  
  
  
"That was a joke," Spike ranted as they took their usual rounds in the woods surrounding the cemetary. "I have never felt like such a redhanded idiot before."  
"That makes two of us," Buffy said, moving slowly and deliberately, stake in hand. Willow had caught her and Spike holding hands but had smart enough to keep her mouth shut. But she was suspicious. She had the right to be. Spike may have been his usual emotionless self, but Buffy's face revealed her fear. Willow could sense her fear.  
"When are we going to tell your mates about us?"  
Buffy froze and slowly turned to him. Her face was an expression of rage and something else. Something he couldn't quite identify. "There is no us," she snapped, brushing past him into the cold cemetary.  
Spike took her elbow as she paused. "I'm sorry, love. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."  
She took a long deep breath. "I'm the one that's sorry," she whispered, turning to face him. "There is something here. I just can't name it yet."  
"I know there is," Spike said, gently touching her face. "But I won't push you. Not now."  
Buffy nodded her gratefulness. "Thanks."  
"Anytime," Spike replied, letting go of her elbow and walking further into the darkness. "Think we'll find anyone tonight?"  
Buffy smiled at her stake and followed him. "We just might."  
  
****  
  
"Buffy and Spike? No way!" Dawn gasped as she sat next to Tara, a bowl of vanilla ice cream in hand.  
"Way," Willow replied in a low voice. "And I wouldn't say anything except I'm really worried about her."  
Dawn fell silent for a minute as she stirred her ice cream. "What do you think, Tara?" she finally asked.  
Tara thought a moment before replying. "I think that if Buffy is happy with him, who are we to criticize?"  
"Exactly," Dawn choked out, swallowing hard. "Spike helped her through the difficult time after her... resurrection."  
Willow dropped her chin onto her fist. "That's the problem with this. It's too perfect. What happened the last time Buffy fell for a vampire?"  
"He betrayed her," Tara replied quietly, turning to her own ice cream with a sigh. "I get what you are trying to say."  
Dawn glared at both of them, her jaw dropping. "What is wrong with you two? She finally finds a bit of happiness and you diss her."  
"We're not trying to hurt her, Dawn," Willow explained patiently. "We're trying to protect her."  
Dawn looked down at her bowl, hard. "I just find it so hard to imagine why two people so obviously in love just can't seem to be happy for someone else who's trying."  
Tara looked ashamed and Willow flushed, both looking away from Dawn, who rose and put her bowl in the sink, quietly leaving the room.  
  
****  
  
The room was brightly lit. Around a large star in the centre of the concrete floor were a hundred lit candles. Behind the candles, each with a candle of their own, were the chosen twelve.   
A single male stepped out, his face weathered beyond the two hundred years of being the undead. He lifted the book in his hands. "Two years ago the slayer humiliated me. Now it's payback time."  
One by one, the vampires blew out their candles until the last died. A tall feminine vampire moved to the centre of the star and set down a large unlit candle. The male stepped inside and lit it, using his own candle. "The blood."  
The female vampire set down a crystal vase of blood and poured it around the candle.  
The male closed his eyes and began to chant with the latin he knew in his heart.   
The female stood by his side, her chin up, eyes full of darkness as she awaited her instructions.  
The male grew silent. "The bird."  
The female, along with assistance from two males on the outside, removed a large black bird from a cage. "Over the fire," he replied, using short phrases from the book. The female took the bird and poised it over the fire. The bird lifted its wings and tried to fly, its sharp dark beak pecking at her pale flesh. "And now," he breathed, closing his eyes. "The knife."  
An outsider brought forth a large dagger and handed it to the male. The male gripped it in his hands and met the gaze of the female, who stood behind the flame, the bird poised over it. He lifted the dagger, stabbing the bird first and letting its blood fall over the fire. As the bird breathed its last, the male lunged forward and stabbed the bird a second time, into the heart of the female vampire, who exploded into dust.   
The dead bird fell to the cold floor.  
"Bullseye," the male whispered.  
  
****  
  
Buffy and Spike walked hand-in-hand in the darkness. "That was pleasant," Spike joked, as they paused in her driveway.   
"That's two no-shows in two nights," Buffy sighed, turning to face him. "Something's up."  
Spike frowned. "Be it as it may, your watcher is no longer here to guide you to what is up."  
Buffy's face fell slightly. "I know," she whispered, turning away slightly from him.  
Spike gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him as her head fell against his chest.   
"I don't know what I am anymore," she whispered, feeling her eyes smart.   
Spike shook her. "Of course you do... you're the slayer."  
"Am I?" she managed to choke out. "Or am I just a performing puppet in a miniskirt?" He gently turned her to face him, his thumbs brushing away the tears. "I am alone."  
"No," Spike said, shaking her shoulders. "You are not alone. There's me, and Dawn and the rest of your gang. There is no reason to feel alone."  
"Then why don't I feel like fighting?" she asked him. "Why?"  
He pulled her close again, dropping his head onto hers. "It gets better you know. The lonliness. The agony. It'll pass."  
"I hope so," Buffy moaned. "Because all of this grown-up crap is way overrated."  
Spike chuckled. "Of course, you could always pick a fight with me..."  
Buffy took the hint and smacked his chest, pushing him away. "Are you tempting me?"  
He swatted at her, jumping back. She glanced at him, a familiar old sparkle in her eyes as she lunged at him, knocking him over. "Like that?" she asked, towering above him.  
He grinned. "You forgot one thing, love."  
"I did?" she questioned innocently.  
He kicked out, hitting her shins as she fell next to him, breathing hard. "Is that supposed to be some kind of challenge?"  
"Well," he debated out loud. "We could sit here and kick each other's asses until dawn... or we could..."  
Buffy leaned up on her elbow turning to him. "We can do what?" she asked, her voice low.  
"I think you know what I'm thinking," he said, leaning out and tapping her arm. "And you know I like it rough."  
The sparkle in her eyes was back as he jumped to his feet, Buffy not far behind. She lashed out first, her foot coming up over his shoulder. His hand caught her foot, flipping her down in front of him. "That wasn't so hard now was it?" he asked, dropping down on top of her.  
The look in her eyes was maddening as his lips crushed hers, his body covering hers.  
Her mind left her completely then as her body rolled with his, protected by the long grasses as they tumbled into the brush. 


	4. Caught

Chapter Four --   
  
  
  
Willow and Dawn were wide awake when Tara slipped sleepily into the kitchen. Dawn sat behind the nook, a textbook in hand. Both appeared anxious. "Buffy didn't come home last night," Dawn announced. "She didn't call, didn't tell us anything."  
Willow tilted her head. "Maybe she's with Spike."  
Dawn lifted her eyebrows and turned away. "Possibly. But even Buffy wouldn't do something like that."  
Tara yawned and reached for coffee, noticing Willow's opened book. "Do you think she's in trouble?"  
"With who?" Willow questioned. "We haven't had any superdemons and villainous wanna-be's in months. Not since Glory."  
The three women grew silent, each lost in their own thoughts, worried for their friend.  
  
****  
  
Buffy awoke slowly, savoring the warm sunlight on her face. She lifted her arms, stretching, slightly chilled by the dew that covered her body... her body...  
The events from the night before came back in a rush and she froze. She rolled over and reached out her hand, groping for her clothing when her hand brushed against an object. Not only an object, but a formidable brown loafer. Her gaze wandered upwards to view two people standing over her. "Giles?" she gasped, shading the morning light as she glanced up to her former watcher.  
"It would appear so," he replied, dropping her clothes on her shaddily covered frame. She was still wrapped in her overshift from the night before. And Spike's sunglasses were a quick grab away. "I brought along an old ally."  
Buffy turned to the woman, who approached steadily. "Faith."  
Faith didn't move, just kept her eyes glued to Buffy as she jumped to her feet, holding her clothes to her frame. "Go on inside," she said hastily, pointing with her good arm to the front door. "I'll be along shortly."  
As the two left, she turned, pulling on her long tee and following them inside quickly, attempting to fix her damp hair.   
She had no idea how she'd explain the fact she'd just been outside, naked, in the middle of the morning.  
  
****  
  
The male vampire lifted the dead raven, holding it up for the rest of his vampire clan to see. "In this bird there is no blood. Only power."  
He set the bird down and removed another book from a single wooden board where another half dozen books lay dusted and rotten. He opened the book and removed a large, heavy gold chain. At the bottom of the gold chain was a ruby oval. He lifted the chain and bent down, wrapping the necklace around the bird. "Our work is almost done," he said, his eyes dropping to the tail. "Remove three feathers and dip them in blood."  
Two outsiders plucked the feathers and delivered them to his waiting hand. "Take the first and put it where she will see. It is a sign of things to come."  
  
****  
  
When Buffy emerged from her shower and change, Willow had prepared breakfast and had called over Xander and Anya. Giles and Faith were both resting comfortably, although when Buffy entered the kitchen, the conversation halted. She knew that they were talking about her friendship with Spike and how serious it was really getting. During her shower, she'd even prepared the exact words she would say.  
But now they seemed too... embarrassing.  
She stepped inside, offering a quick smile. "What's happening?"  
Willow was the first to speak up. "Dawn left for school."  
Xander spoke up second. "And Giles here was telling us of the next fiendish plot to open a wormhole into hell. To make the slayer suffer."  
Buffy laughed sharply as she rested her hip against the breakfast nook. "Don't you people have anything better to do than to discuss my fate? How about discussing your own?" Throwing her hands up, she practically ran from the kitchen. She was so tired of their concern, their endless need to protect her. And why was Faith there anyway?  
Faith was following her, Buffy could sense it. "Why are you here?" Buffy asked, stopping in the living room and turning to the other slayer. "Why did Giles bring you back?"  
"I'm here because Giles brought me," Faith replied, crossing her arms. "And lose the attitude. It isn't going to help either of us."  
Buffy let her arms fall to her sides. "He told you about Spike."  
"We didn't see him," Faith toned, sitting on the sofa. "But I know you were with him last night." She pointed to the bruise on Buffy's arm. "It's getting swollen."  
Buffy clamped her hand over the painless bruise. "What tries to kill me now will only make me stronger."  
"Don't you get it?" Faith asked, her voice rising. "Don't you see that falling in love with another vampire will bring you nothing but heartbreak?"  
Buffy felt the familiar twinge in her heart as she forced herself to face Faith. "I won't let it happen this time."  
"He doesn't love you, not like you want him to," Faith said.  
"You're just desperate because you were once against me," Buffy spat out. "Now that I don't have an enemy, you don't have an ally."  
Faith jumped to her feet. "Buffy, that was harsh."  
Buffy looked down for a second. "Things change."  
"But what you are shouldn't," Faith reminded her. "I came back here to help you. Something bad is about to happen and I'm not going to force you to face it alone."  
Buffy felt something deep within her shredded emotions. Something along the lines of gratitude. "Thank you," she said, a soft smile curving her lovely face. Then her expression grew cold. "What is this something?"  
"Giles doesn't know yet," Faith assured her. "But he has his instincts."  
"I don't doubt that," Buffy said, moving to return to the kitchen. "If there's anything you must know about a watcher, it's their instinct that always serves as the key."  
  
****  
  
"I'm home!" Dawn shouted, closing the front door and stepping inside. "Buffy? Tara? Willow?" She moved to the living room, dropping her book bag on the front steps. "Buffy?"  
"In the kitchen!" Buffy's voice trilled.   
Dawn moved into the kitchen, dropping her purse on the table, its contents spilling across its shiny surface. Buffy was inside a cabinet, a bag of groceries by her side. "Take out the crackers, will you?"  
Dawn pulled out the box and handed it to her sister. Buffy placed it inside the cabinet, then let it swing shut. "Where is everyone?"  
"Tara's sleeping, Willow went out..." her voice trailed off as she noticed the few items on the table. "Dawn, is this stuff yours?"  
Dawn nodded and rushed over, pushing cosmetics and crumpled up notes into her small black handbag. Then something caught her eye as it caught Buffy's. Buffy leaned down and picked up a long black feather. The very tip was stained with red ink or something else resembling it. "Dawn?" she asked, twirling the feather. "What is this?"  
"I found it in my locker," Dawn said, confused. "I stuck it in my purse. It has something taped to it."  
"Let me see it," Buffy urged her gently, her words belying the intensity she felt at touching the feather. Dawn handed her a small white card. Buffy unfolded it and noticed two lines printed in perfect italics. In Latin. "As soon as Willow gets back, I want her to read this."  
"Where did Willow go anyway?" Dawn asked, setting her purse down again.  
Buffy was silent for a long moment, as though she were trying to decide what to say. "She's with Giles."  
"He's back?" Dawn gasped, excitement flowing through her veins. "I knew he wouldn't abandon us!"  
Buffy held up her hand. "I wish it was so simple," she replied. "He's back because he believes that something bad is about to happen."  
"So what's our plan?" Dawn asked, sitting down.   
Buffy looked confused. "Plan?"  
Dawn nodded, "You know, the good guy kicks bad guy's ass and the world's restored to normalcy?"  
Buffy laughed. "You've been spending way too much time with Xander again. All that talk is going to get you nowhere except detention."  
"Speaking of spending way too much time with a particular male," Dawn began boldly, picking at her fingertips. "What's going on between you and Spike?"  
Buffy fell silent, sitting down herself. "I wish I could describe how I felt, Dawn. I really wish I could."  
Dawn glanced out the window as the last traces of sunlight disappeared. "Do you love him?"  
Buffy shrugged. "I love the way he fights. I love the way he's always protecting you. I love the way he apologises," she added with a chuckle. "But do I love him for what he is? For who he is? I might." She sighed, knocking on the wooden table. "But who am I to second guess a vampire?"  
Dawn smiled encouragingly and patted her older sister's hand. "I trust you, Buffy Anne Summers. Do what you feel is the best you can do in your heart."  
Buffy smiled, her first genuine smile in a long time. "It feels so much better," she said lightly, "to get this off my chest."  
"Think he'll come by tonight?" Dawn asked her.  
Buffy shrugged. "Spike does what Spike wants. And that's part of his charm."  
"You can't resist it!" Dawn squealed as the front door banged open.  
"Dawn," Buffy said quietly. "Keep this between us, won't you?"  
Dawn nodded her promise and went to greet Willow and the others. Buffy leaned over and plucked the small white card and reread the latin, her face tensing.   
  
****  
  
The lock was picked by the key and a heavy brass door was opened. The male vampire leaned inside and stood, in wait.  
"If you're waiting from me, I am here." The voice was feminine, heavily accented as though it were trying to understand English. The female moved slowly into the light, her dark hair down her back, her dark eyes full of bloodlust. "You have called me."  
The male vampire nodded. "You are the chosen one. The slayer's slayer. You are Raven."  
  
****  
  
Spike showed up at his usual time, just after nine. Buffy was the first to answer the door. "Dawn knows," she said quietly, letting him in. She handed him his sunglasses and pulled on his arm. "One more thing," she said softly. "Giles has come back."  
Spike nodded, pulling her along until they reached the living room. He glanced around the room, his eyes finally settling on a brunette curled into an armchair. She immediately rose to her feet and walked briskly toward them. "We meet again," she greeted Spike. She turned to Buffy. "I see what you meant."  
Spike groaned as Buffy took him by the arm, summoning her courage. Anya approached from behind them, a huge bowl of popcorn in hand. "I'll be back," she replied, turning to get the other items.   
Xander glanced at Buffy curiously as she appeared to be fighting mental demons. "Buff?" he probed gently.  
She finally nodded and looked up. "Spike and I are together," she announced in a clear, lucid tone. Dawn dropped her spoon and Xander coughed loudly. It was Tara who finally spoke up.  
"I don't think there's anyone in this neighborhood that knows that the two of you aren't together."  
Buffy felt another flush coming on as the doorbell rang. "That must be my nine o'clock pizza craving," Xander said, standing up, breaking the thick silence.   
Anya came back, empty-handed. Xander looked disappointed. "It wasn't the pizza," she said, nodding her head toward the entryway. "We have a guest."  
Buffy turned around, her jaw dropping. "Angel." 


End file.
